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Karza wrote:But at a few dozen pieces per month rate of manufacturing, the assorted tin-pot dictators will take quite a while to stock up their armories so business won't dry up anytime soon. Now someone might question the wisdom of selling laser weaponry to the assorted failed states, but we need the cash to save the Earth, right?

Heck, if the main governments supported you better, you wouldn't need to sell to the failed states. This is assuming that the main governments aren't the ones buying all the weaponry and other stuff though.

Still, technically, the various governments should only pay for the first 18 copies of a weapon, then effectively zero afterwards. This is because they get the weapon, reverse engineer it, and build their own copies from then on. The only cases where this would not be true is when the weapon needs elerium (but you need the elerium for your own uses).

Peptuck wrote: Beginner. Parlty because I'm too terrified to play it on anything harder, and partly because that's what the game defaults to anyway without patching, and I have no idea where to get the patch.

The only difference between difficulty levels is the number and stats of the actual aliens. All the geoscape stuff stays the same, but on Impossible there are about 50% more aliens on a level and they're about 25% better at shooting and tougher to kill.

But yeah, unless you have UFO Gold or patch it with XcomUtil only your first tactical mission will be at the selected difficulty, and it reverts to beginner after that.

You can almost imagine the horror the aliens must feel when they see that aircraft descend upon them. The hatch opens and out come humanity's finest trained killers, backed up by an armed porta-loo which levels the surrounding area. After checking the rubble, the soldiers give a signal for the rest of the troops to emerge, at which point a rabble of nutcases with doom-rays, rocket lauchers and multi-barreled death bastards barrel out of the aircraft yellin' and a hollerin' their warcry ('FUCK YEAH!'). In seconds, burning craters and shattered buildings litter the landscape as all surviving aliens have their xenos minds shattered by shell-shock as X-COM demonstrate there's only one species allowed to fuck up Earth's shit and it's already there.

Certainly, there are worse horrors than the greys on Mars, but the worst horror of all has yet to arrive on the Red Planet.

X-COM, we salute you.

Sorry for the length of time it took to do this update. I blame Prince of Persia.

-


February has been an uneventful month thus far. The majority of our funding nations were quite pleased with our work thus far, and have given us an increase to our funding.



Doctor Surlethe announced that research was completed on the development of the heavy laser design. Several models have been constructed, though we must wait for an enemy contact to field test their effectiveness.



As expected, completion of the designs for heavy man-portable laser weaponry has allowed us to begin development on a much larger version, sufficient to be mounted on aircraft or tanks. Within a week, we completed development of this weapon.

X-COM High Command expects that this weapon will be suited for anti-armor duties, making it a very valuable item for sale on the international market. Since we technically don't exist, and our funding nations don't have access to our research, no one will be able to trace back the sales of these weapons. Our engineering staff has begun construction of the first laser cannon models for our use and sale. Chief engineer Fnord assures us we will be able to produce the weapons at a cost of about 40% of their market value. We anticipate a $125,000 profit on each sale.



Following reports of alien activity in Russia and the Pacific, X-COM established a second base in far eastern Siberia. Lots were taken among the men for suggestions as to this new base's name.



Current plans are for Vodkaville to be an engineering base, doing mass production of weapons, vehicles, and sundry equipment for X-COM use. It will also be equipped with three hangars for aircraft manufacture and interception duties.



Contact was made on 10 February with a UFO over the Sahara. Coalition was dispatched to bring it down, but we lost tracking over Poland.

The remainder of February was spent bringing in fresh science staff, as well as more engineers to help construct laser cannons. Doctor Surlethe' science team began work on the numerous recovered alien artifacts, and completed research on this device.



With this "mind probe," we can identify the capabilities and rank of any alien in line of sight. The device's underlying physics are quite curious, as it allows the scanning of surface thoughts and emotions. We also believe that we will need to complete research on more of the enemy's technology to really understand how this device works, as our scientists are currently baffled at how it operates. Lots of theories are being bandied about.

More good news came mid-February, as our alien containment facilities have been finished. Now, we can hold any aliens we capture for examination and interrogation. This will be essential to our research goals. Immediately, Chief Biologist Dr. "Yosemite" Bear took up residence in the area, carrying a bag of ominously labeled "tools." Personnel are advised to disregard the occasional mad cackling coming from the upper floor.

Doctor Surlethe believes that one of the devices recovered in the last assault-and-clear may be a ranged, area-effect alien stun weapon. Further research on the device and its ammunition are underway. If we are right, this device may be the key to capturing many live aliens for interrogation. Chief Biologist Dr. "Yosemite" Bear was reportedly very enthusiastic about this possibility.

Liaising with national defense agencies has advised us of a spike in alien activity in South America. The alien's exact intentions in the region were not determined until 23 February.

Peptuck wrote:Sorry for the length of time it took to do this update. I blame Prince of Persia.

-

Code: Select all

From: Commander Michael Wong, X-COM
To: All personnel
Subj: Recent operations in France

What the fuck, people. There was an alien not ten feet away from the Skyranger and no one saw it? I'm all for the use of sufficient force against suspicious buildings, but get your priorities straight. Clear landing site first, THEN indiscriminate property destruction.

Thought for the day: Everything burns.

Yes Sir, I'll get right on it Sir. May we please have extended distribution of Incendiary rounds please Sir?

Goddamn alien bastards, second terror op already? Here's to hoping it won't be a night-fight, sometimes it's impossible to time the landing correctly when the terror site is that far away.

Well, me and the boys are gonna be busy. Better roll out the stills and crank 'em up!

Out of the stuff that XCOM can currently or in the very near future build (medikits, motion scanners, various Giant Frikkin Lasers, and the aforementioned laser-armed portaloo), the laser cannon is the most profitable (445k - 1345k net profit), with the Laser Armed Portaloo O' Death bringing in up to 390k per month.

Karza wrote:Goddamn alien bastards, second terror op already? Here's to hoping it won't be a night-fight, sometimes it's impossible to time the landing correctly when the terror site is that far away.

Night fight? That just means we need more illumination. What burns well around there?

weemadando wrote:Night fight? That just means we need more illumination. What burns well around there?

Well, it's in Brazil so my guess is "the rainforest". Of course, this being a cityfight we'll probably have to settle for lighting up assorted gas stations and garden plants. Either way, I second the request for more incendiaries.

Karza wrote:

weemadando wrote:Night fight? That just means we need more illumination. What burns well around there?

Well, it's in Brazil so my guess is "the rainforest". Of course, this being a cityfight we'll probably have to settle for lighting up assorted gas stations and garden plants. Either way, I second the request for more incendiaries.

Having already finished the terror mission (too tired to do screenshots just yet) I will say this: incendiaries have been used.

Karza wrote:Goddamn alien bastards, second terror op already? Here's to hoping it won't be a night-fight, sometimes it's impossible to time the landing correctly when the terror site is that far away.

Looks like a quiet february.

I often find that, you have two or three UFOs in January, then not a whisker until february's regularly scheduled terror op, and then all fuckery breaks loose in March.

Still, a second base will give more opportunities to spot the xeno scum, now all you need is to get zapping aliens with stun prods to grab a navigator for the Hyperwave Decoder. (In my last game I was lucky to get one nearly straight away, as I always start my alien containment building day one)

Peptuck wrote: Having already finished the terror mission (too tired to do screenshots just yet) I will say this: incendiaries have been used.

It's just a pity incendiaries don't do much damage (fire is bugged). Still, they're a good way around the 80 item limit when you need light sources (like on mars), though they can't be as widely distributed around the squad as electro flares and are direct fire only.

Damnit man, this tread made me wanting to dig that old game up.

Oh, and Zixinus volunteers for service as resident weapon-nut. Expect me to drool on endlessly about the advantages and disadvantages of any weapon mistakenly given into my hands. Sex-change is acceptable if necessary.

I would like to sign up as part of the new personnel for Vodkaville once it comes online, sir. I am sick and tired of living in a tropical country and would like a change of scenery, preferably white with lots of vodka for drinking.

I respectfully request a position in Vodkaville as well! Just give me two weeks to sober up once I sign up

BRASILIA IS BEING ATTACKED BY ALIENS.



ARE YOU A BAD ENOUGH DUDE TO SAVE BRASILIA?
The team deployed to Brasilia in the only safe spot, a small lot by the main road. Hawkwings disembarked first, as usual. He took fire on the way down.



"Hello."

I didn't get a screenshot of its death, but you can guess what happened.





Movement was spotted in the building behind the dead xenos scum. X-COM doesn't like movement.



Zablorg made note of an alien to the north. Said alien was vaporized with moderate amounts of prejudice.



Vanas made note of this alien hiding in an alley to the south of the LZ.



Ohma once again blew its brains into semi-cauterized giblets.



MJ12-2 caught this one running around in the open, with its back to the carnage.



X-COM High Command advises its personnel to refrain from repeatedly shooting the target in the ass in the future. Once in the head is sufficient.



Hawkwings moved to the south and spotted these devices. We surmise that they are small-scale versions of the standard UFO. However, despite their scaled-back nature....



....they killed our tank in one go.



Colonel White Haven reportedly shouted something along the lines of "THAT FUCKING THING COST FOUR HUNDRED GRAND!" right before he loaded his rocket launcher.



He scored a direct hit on the UFO, as well as catching a second one right next to it with the blast. Both mini-UFOs were obliterated in the subsequent chain reaction of explosions. We believe these "cyberdiscs" are loaded with some manner of self-destruct mechanism that causes them to explode violently when destroyed.

Not content, Haven spotted a third UFO behind a house to the south, right through a couple of open windows. He reloaded, spun, and snapped off a second rocket....



And killed that one too.

Meanwhile, Private Deither was clearing this nearby house when



OHSHI-





The xenos murderer retreated into the house. That simply gave X-COM an enclosed area to kill it in. White Haven spun, reloading his launcher with the only missile he had left: an incendiary rocket.





Since they could still hear it screaming, the remaining X-COM troopers in the area hosed the target with lasers, high-ex, and rockets until the building was nothing but burning rubble. Even the stalwart, unyielding kitchen appliances fell before our wrath.

We are 97.28% certain we got him.



Meanwhile, Zablorg was clearing a building to the north when he/she spotted this sectoid walking along an alley. According to the logs, she/he shouted something along the lines of "CRY SOME MORE" while hosing the sectoid with high explosive rounds.



Weemadando moved along and checked the corpse, to find it wasn't a corpse; the concussive blast of the shells had knocked it unconscious. Beatings followed.



MJ12-2 and Vanas found this sectoid hiding behind a house.



Vanas punished it.



MISSION COMPRETE!

Post-mission analysis: Well, we finally took our first casualty. It was inevitable, and I don't see any way we could have prevented Diether's death beyond indiscriminately shelling the area he had been exploring. If it weren't for White Haven essentially killing all of the sectoid's cyberdiscs single-handedly, we would have taken much higher losses. The new heavy lasers didn't stack up very well, but that was partially because we didn't even get a chance to use them.

Also, we have captured our first live alien. Doctor "Yosemite" Bear reportedly cackled so loudly that he could be heard by the lift guards on the surface.

Not pictured: we leveled a warehouse, three homes, two convience stores, and every phone booth in the city. GO X-COM!

Phone booths are agents of the alien menace. They are used to track our human activities to plan their nefarious invasion.

Still only one deader as well, things are looking good for X-Com. Plenty of blaster launcher targets for later on....

What is my cackling driving all of you away?

oh and can I get some Fava Beans and Chainti?

Still need that patch? Also, what version of Xcom do you have? I have a link to a 1.4 patch, but I'm not sure if that's the one you need or not.

Vendetta wrote:Phone booths are agents of the alien menace. They are used to track our human activities to plan their nefarious invasion.

Still only one deader as well, things are looking good for X-Com. Plenty of blaster launcher targets for later on....

not to mention their use by time traveling teenagers, time traveling aliens, and as chaning places for alien infiltrators.

cyberdiscs

Gotta love enemies you're afraid to kill

I think we're overlooking the main feature of these disc thingies. While they indeed broke our armed porta-loo, the really, really important thing is they explode hella good.

I'd like to suggest that Zablorg gets a bigger gun, as he left a survivor.

...Goddamn! I knew I was a proponent of a 'peace via collateral damage' strategy, but I didn't think it'd work out THAT well for me.

Weemadando moved along and checked the corpse, to find it wasn't a corpse; the concussive blast of the shells had knocked it unconscious. Beatings followed.

Aliens don't have civil rights and they certainly don't have Johnny Cochrane....

weemadando wrote:

Weemadando moved along and checked the corpse, to find it wasn't a corpse; the concussive blast of the shells had knocked it unconscious. Beatings followed.

Aliens don't have civil rights and they certainly don't have Johnny Cochrane....

yes, but as soon as the USA cuts funding to X-Com, you'll see us blame it all on the investigative journelism of one Clark Kent, I swear that guy must be a secret alien sympathizer...